Accountability and TIA jeopardy: SBEC Recap

Jul 31
3 min read

There were a few primary topics that the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) discussed during its annual work session that took place in Austin on Thursday, July 23 and bled into Friday, July 24 before the official meeting:

National board certification (NBC) in the teacher incentive allotment (TIA)
Educator preparation program (EPP) accountability
Texas teacher certification exam redesign

Texas AFT has been watching the item related to NBC ever since the board was given authority over its continuation in House Bill (HB) 2. The committee assigned to review NBC materials for HB 2 compliance met on Thursday, but this was not publicly posted or live streamed as would be typical of SBEC committees and meetings. During the regular meeting, it was stated that content was found that might interfere with a teacher’s ability to comply with statute on prohibited topics (Senate Bill (SB) 3) and diversity, equity, and inclusion duties (SB 12). It was repeatedly stated that the reviewer’s task was not to debate the relative quality or merits of NBC but rather the compliance with state law. It was recommended that the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) make updates for compliance by early November. As a reminder, this decision must be made before the end of the year, or NBC will be revoked and the TIA designations of those teachers will expire at the end of their NBC certification.

EPPs actually have two levers for accountability placed on them by the state. The first is the Accountability System for Educator Preparation (ASEP) system. This annual snapshot is intended to provide feedback on program effectiveness and improvement. The second component is the continuing approval review (CAR) that must take place at least every 5 years. During the work session, the board contemplated how these two systems might be better aligned, but not duplicative, in the goal of improving EEPs and thus the teachers they produce. Feedback included broader communication strategies, increased timelines for program improvement, and availability of supports for programs needing assistance. During an ongoing teacher shortage, the tension is in balancing genuine improvement with punitive measures that might further negatively impact the pipeline.

Staff brought forward a proposal on Friday for changes to both systems to implement the topics discussed. These rules will go to public comment and be up for adoption at the next SBEC meeting.

On Friday morning before the formal meeting, it was expected that the board would get an update on the development of the Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP). What staff presented instead was a somewhat unfocused discussion of steps the board might take to modify EPP entrance requirements or additions to the required trainings for EPPs participating in Preparing and Retaining Educators through Partnerships (PREP). We are hoping there will be more clarity provided at the next meeting.

Another interesting item of note was the proposed rejection of a new EPP application, Teacher Prep Institute in the Rio Grande Valley, that seeks to certify English language arts, special education, and bilingual education teachers. TEA’s recommendation to reject was based on their determination that the course coverage of the use of open education resources (OER), better known as Bluebonnet, was “insufficient.” This is troubling because TEA is making a subjective decision not about if the required curriculum is covered but to what extent the program is addressing topics in the curriculum, in this case OER. The EPP testified this was not identified as an area for improvement until its final site visit and they were not given an opportunity to respond to the agency’s findings. For a program focusing on special and bilingual education, that do not have specific standards and for which Bluebonnet/OER will never exist, this outcome is disappointing. The EPP may apply again but it is an expensive and time-consuming process.

Last Friday, the Office of the Governor announced two new appointees to the board. Cassidy Estes of Amarillo ISD will fill in the educator vacancy. Kathy Ward of Plano, a former special education teacher, will complete the board as a new citizen member. They will join the board for their next regular meeting in September in Austin.